Saffron Walden had no answers for Vauxhall Mallards bowler Adam Todd as they were bowled out for 72 in Saturday’s loss.

The seamer took six wickets for a paltry 30 runs in a 10-over spell that included two maidens.

Defending just 129 runs, it took Todd one ball to snare his first wicket as Alex Morley picked out Vauxhall skipper Matt Platter. Morley was the second wicket to fall after Todd’s bowling partner, Paul Bradshaw, sent Michael Turner back to the pavilion for a golden duck in the first over.

Bradshaw was insatiable with the new ball and in his next two overs he took two more wickets to leave Walden teetering on the brink of embarrassment. First he shaped a ball back in to Jason Gallian which trapped him in front for one and then he had Matt Gouldstone caught by Todd for a five-ball duck.

Todd, wicketless for seven overs, pushed Walden over the precipice with a two-wicket over. He found the edge of Andrew Russell’s bat to end a promising 23-run partnership Andrew Gale and clean bowled the new man, Tom Picton-Turberville, four balls later. And it only got worse for the visitors when Todd had Joe Barrs, Gale and Ben Waring back in the clubhouse in the space of four overs.

At 46-9 and still 87 runs away from victory, Walden needed a miracle from Thomas Philp and Cameron Taylor. They didn’t provide it. Philp was trapped LBW by Devon Conway to end a team best 26-run partnership and hand Vauxhall a 57-run victory.

It was a shocking loss for Barrs’ team, especially after they had bowled out Vauxhall for 132, their second lowest total to chase after 117 against Woolpit on April 25.

Taylor took two wickets inside 10 overs and Barrs rearranged Brett Stolworthy’s stumps to leave the hosts reeling at 3-30. A 35-run partnership between Mitchell Todd, who top scored with 59, and Alistair Shearer spared Mallards the embarrassment that was to befall Walden later in the day.

The batsmen toiled against tight bowling for 48.4 overs and were finally all out for 129 after Harry Barker was beaten all ends up by Barrs. The bowling display counting for naught, though, as Todd tore through Walden’s line-up.